General Chinese (Beginner Level)

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Here is the second part of the popular ”十二生肖 (shí’èrshēngxiào): Chinese Zodiac” series that you all have been patiently waiting for. If your animal wasn’t included in the last installment, you are sure to find it below. In the last zodiac article, we discovered all 12 of the animals while going into ...

Chinese grammar is famously simple. However, some grammatical aspects are still difficult for my Mandarin Chinese students. In this lesson, I will help you understand one of these tricky aspects that you are likely to see on tests such as the HSK. What’s so difficult about the particle “了 (le)”?
I often need to spend extra ...

If you want to evolve your spoken Chinese beyond baby talk, it is necessary to be able to improve how you express your thoughts. One way to do this is to use “因果关系 (yīnguǒ guānxì) cause and effect relation.” Let’s explore more commonly associated words to use when describing various situations.
1. 因为 (Yīnwèi)…所以 (suǒyǐ)…

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Vocabulary plays an important role in learning new languages and Chinese is no exception. Of course, attending a regular course is essential but it may not be enough. Everybody has a different learning style, as well. Here are 6 smart ways to quickly improve your Chinese vocabulary based on your learning style.
1. 阅读 (Yuèdú) Reading

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Mandarin Chinese does not have a simple and easy way to say “no.” A Chinese student will have to become familiar with the various negative meanings of “不 (bù) not” and “没 (méi) none” to indicate refusal, denial, disappointment and not having something.
As a Mandarin Chinese teacher, there are certain questions that come up time ...

In English we have a saying, “Get off your high horse!” It means someone is being prideful and we want them to take their pride down a notch, or just act more humble. The cool thing is that in Chinese we have a similar phrase, although it has a few different meanings from the one ...

Every culture has their own wedding traditions. In the USA it’s not uncommon for the bride to wear something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Similarly, in China there are superstitious and ritualistic practices unique to each region’s culture. Instead of blue, for example, it’s common to use 红色(hóngsè) red for the happy ...

Ice cream is a popular dessert loved the world over. Many of my students assume that ice cream is a dessert that is imported from the West. That is NOT true!
Actually, ice cream originated in China. Millenniums ago, emperors stored iced drinks in cellars, to keep them safe from the summer heat, and would drink ...

Let’s face it: The Internet has changed everything. And, “everything” includes Mandarin Chinese language learning! Years ago, the classroom and textbooks were the only resources available to begin learning Chinese. However, with recent online resources emerging, learning Mandarin Chinese is easier and more accessible than ever. Chinese language learners can now take online lessons, learn ...

Since 1930, football (or “soccer”) fans around the world have gathered to watch the “FIFA World Cup” every four years. The 2018 World Cup is being held for the first time in Russia. While there are no major changes to the rules of the game, there are some ways that technology is changing the way ...